Ujung Kulon National Park

Ujung Kulon National Park is situated in the southern most tip of Java. It comprises of Ujung Kulon peninsula and several offshore islands and embraces the natural reserve of Krakatoa. Ujung Kulon National Park is home to several endangered plants and animals including Javan rhinoceros which is an endangered species. Ujung Kulon National Park spreads over 1,206 square kilometer most of which lies on a peninsula reaching into the Indian Ocean.

 

Ujung Kulon National Park lies on the extreme south-western tip of Java within the administrative province of Java Barat (West Java) and the Kebupaten of Pandeglang.

Ujung Kulon is a triangular peninsula protruding from the south-west extremity of mainland Java, to which it is joined by a low isthmus some 1-2 km wide. The topography is dominated in the south-west by the three north-south aligned ridges of the Gunung Payung massif, with the peaks of Gunung Payung, Gunung Guhabendang and Gunung Cikuja forming the highest points on the peninsula. To the north-east, the relief attenuates to the low rolling hills and plains of the Telanca Plateau, and ultimately to the low-lying swamps in the region of the isthmus. To the east, the Gunung Honje massif forms the mainland component of the park. Coastal formations include a number of raised coral islands and their associated fringing reefs which lie off the northern coast of the peninsula, the largest of these being Pulau Handeuleum. To the south, the coastline is characterized by sand dune formations, areas of raised coral reef, and further west a long stretch of undermined and shattered sandstone slabs. Extensive coral reefs and spectacular volcanic formations occur along the exposed and broken west coast.

Geologically, Ujung Kulon, Gunung Honje and Pulau Panaitan are part of a young Tertiary mountain system, which overlies the pre-Tertiary strata of the Sunda Shelf. Lying on the edge of the tectonically active Sunda Shelf, Krakatau Nature Reserve comprises the central island of Anak Krakatau (child of Krakatau), and the peripheral islands of Rakata, Payang and Sertung with their surrounding coral reefs. These peripheral islands form the remnants of a single volcano ('Ancient Krakatau') which exploded and collapsed some 1,500 years ago leaving three remnant cones.

Vegetation has been subject to a number of anthropogenic and natural modifications, of which the most notable is the Krakatau eruption of 1883. As a result, primary lowland rainforest, the natural vegetation cover, now occupies only 50% of the total area, being largely confined to the Gunung Payung and Honje massifs.

A tall closed canopy forest occurs on Gunung Payung, on Pulau Peucang; vegetation of the Telanca Plateau and central lowlands is a more open secondary forest. Occurring along the northern promontory of Ujung Kulon near Tanjung, alang-alang is a seasonally inundated freshwater swamp forest. Mangrove forest occurs in a broad belt along the northern side of the isthmus, extending northwards as far as the Cikalong River, as well as to the north of Pulau Handeuleum and on the north-east coast of Pulau Panaitan. Beach forest occurs on nutrient-poor sandy ridges on the north and north-west coasts of Ujung Kulon.

Ujung Kulon is the last remaining viable natural refuge for Javan rhinoceros; Javan tiger was locally extirpated about 40 years ago. Other notable mammals include carnivores, such as leopard, wild dog (dhole), leopard cat, fishing cat, Javan mongoose and several civets. Of the primates, the endemic species Javan gibbon and Javan leaf monkey occur locally along with the endemic silvered leaf monkey, while crab-eating macaque is found throughout the park. Several ungulates range within the park, of which the largest and most abundant is banteng. A rich avifauna is present with over 270 species recorded. Terrestrial reptiles and amphibians include two species of python, as well as two crocodiles and numerous frogs and toads. Green turtle is known to nest within the park.

The rich coral reefs of the Ujung Kulon coast are dominated by a small number of species that make up some 90% of the coral mass; the marine areas of Ujung Kulon support some of the richest fish fauna in the archipelago, with both deep water and reef species well represented.

Pulau Panaitan has a Ganesha statue on the summit of Mount Raksa, an early Hindu archaeological relic from the 1st century AD, and the island is thought to have been an important staging post for sailing ships passing through the Sunda Straits. Captain James Cook is known to have anchored HMS Endeavour on the south-eastern side of Panaitan Island from 6-16 January 1771.

Historical Description

Pulau Panaitan/Pulau Peucang Nature Reserve was established in 1937 under Decree No. GB/17/Stb1/420, Ujung Kulon Nature Reserve in 1958 under Decree No. 48/kpts/Um/4/58 and Gunung Honje Nature Reserve established in 1967. The complex was declared a national park in 1980. Krakatau was notified as a nature reserve in 1921 and incorporated within the national park in 1983.

Species

The species listed below represent a small sample of iconic and/or IUCN Red Listed animals and plants found in the property. Clicking on the number in brackets next to the species will reveal other World Heritage Properties in which a species has been identified. These species are identified in an effort to better communicate the biological diversity contained within World Heritage properties inscribed under criteria ix and/or x.

• Aonyx cinerea / Oriental small-clawed otter
• Arctictis binturong / Binturong
• Bos javanicus / Banteng
• Centropus nigrorufus / Sunda coucal
• Cervus timorensis / Rusa deer
• Crocodylus porosus / Estuarine crocodile
• Cuon alpinus / Wild dog or dhole
• Herpestes javanicus / Javan mongoose
• Hylobates moloch / Java gibbon
• Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus / Grey-headed Fish-eagle
• Leptoptilos javanicus / Lesser adjutant
• Lutra lutra / Common otter
• Macaca fascicularis / Crab-eating macaque
• Megalaima javensis / Black-banded barbet
• Muntiacus muntjak / Barking deer
• Mycteria cinerea / Milky stork
• Nycticebus coucang / Slow loris
• Panthera pardus / Leopard
• Pavo muticus / Green peafowl
• Presbytis comata / Javan surili
• Prionailurus bengalensis / Leopard cat
• Prionailurus viverrina / Fishing cat
• Pteropus vampyrus / Large flying fox
• Python molurus / Asiatic rock python
• Rhinocerus sondaicus / Javan rhinoceros
• Tomistoma schlegelii / False gharial
• Trachypithecus auratus / Javan lutung
• Trachypithecus cristatus / Silvered leaf monkey
• Treron capellei / Large green-pigeon
• Varanus salvator / Common water monitor 

  more info:

  1. http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=608

  2. http://www.dephut.go.id/INFORMASI/TN%20INDO-ENGLISH/tn_ujungkulon.htm